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This topic has moved here: Subject: [story] Searcher *Chapter 5 is up!*
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"if i have seen farther it is by standing on the shoulders of giants" Isaac Newton

Well done. The story is getting more interesting, nice twist. I actually did not expect that. I was thinking more along the lines of something else, but this is better than what I was expecting. I'm still intrigued as to how the characters interact with each other, how they are going to end up meeting each other/fighting each other.

  • 07.21.2010 10:13 PM PDT

AL is preventing me from having fun. It is also preventing a lot of people from having fun. People who defend AL say they can live without it. It is obviously unfair in many ways.

SO WHY DON'T WE REMOVE/TWEAK IT?

Also, yes, I do goose.

Chapter VI: Joining

A bond. The special bond it thought it would never have. A parasite, sharing a bond belonging to only the joining of individuals, both of them willingly. But he was no individual. It mattered not.

The meeting was less than half a day away. It was obviously very important to Searcher, as it might have meant his relationship with the human race forever. It also meant whether his love would truly love him back, or not. Would she be disgusted by his outer look, and not care of his intelligence? Would she be like the human he always imagined, one that ran away from danger, even if it was not dangerous? Would she be him, the one who ran away without giving a thought that ran from anything sharp, slimy, or gross?

He remembered back to the time when he was infected, and felt the power for the first time. The time he was disgusted with himself, when he wanted to change back into a human. He couldn't remember much about his human life. It seemed like years ago. He remembered a few scenes of his life, some happy, some sad, some morbid. They were his only memories of him being human.

The time being a child. He sled down the slide at a park, his mother and father there comforting him. He climbing things, almost like a monkey. He never ran out of energy, he never tired. He felt like an explorer, venturing into the far lands of the park. The slides were his vines, to go from place to place. The steps were his vines, which he would use to get to high places, and see the sights. The playthings, like the tic-tac-toe board and steering wheel, were ancient Indian puzzles, set to kill robbers. And the leaves scattered around the playground, the plastic trees he was inside and played in only solidified the dream. It set it in motion.

The time being married. He came up onto the platform, with his best man, Paul. They had been friends from high school, and stuck together through college. His bride, he met 2 years ago. He planned to ask sooner, but he always chickened out. He regretted not asking her sooner. She stepped out, in her beautiful wedding dress and high heels. She wore the million dollar diamond ring he had bought her. "Here comes the Bride" rang throughout the church, through the organ in the back. She was beautiful. She was perfect. She was his. He was hers. A speech, their vows, love, and a kiss sealed it all.

The time at a funeral. His best friend, Paul, had died at the age of 28. They all wore black. The service was depressing. His wife was the only one to comfort him. He tried to show the up-most respect to his best friend by not crying, but keeping a sad face. The latter was easy. The former was not. It was even so hard, he could not do it. A single tear slipped out of his eye at the end of the service, and he could not contain the rest. He sat there, looking at the casket from afar. It was continued for another 2 hours, straight. His last words, at the hospital were happy, that he had no regrets, other than taking a few more cookies from the cookie jar than he should have. Mark (or Searcher, at least now) knew him for 12 years. He would know him for no longer, but only through memory.

The time that his son was born. He had been in the hospital all night. It was 3:37 AM. His wife had a deathgrip on his hand, and felt like she was trying with all of her might to pull it off. She was in a lot of pain, obviously. One last cry of "Push!" from the doctor, and out came another soul he had to commit his life to. The doctors lowered the baby into its mother's arms, and then they had to come up with a name. They had no idea what to name him. They didn't think of this at all, and it was awkward when they were asked to think of one. They at last decided on a name. Isaac.

The time that his wife, and son, both died. Mark was at work. A few miles away from his homely cubicle, his wife was being threatened with life or death. A common thief, a robber had entered their home, and demanded money. They had none to give, for they were already deep into financial debt. The robber didn't believe her. A shot rang through the air, and a body dropped to the ground. The boy, 4 of age now, not knowing better, went downstairs to investigate. Those would be his last actions he ever made. When Mark had returned home, he saw his wife and his son, both laying on the ground dead. His son was shot in the heart. His wife was shot in the lung, and probably suffered a slow and painful death. After the tragic event and the service for it, he spent months inside his home, only going out to buy food. He lead a sad, and easily tempered lifestyle afterwards.

Until now of course. He had moved on. He was happy. He had not been happy for years time, but he was happy now. He took out his pocket knife again. Then, he started to make some modifications to it. He spread his skin across it. Not any of its components, but its base. He now had a weapon he could use, one he could hide on his body, and was undetectable. He now had an emergency weapon and tool, which he could use if he was captured, or something of that nature.

He spent the rest of the day looking at the knife. He would look at one tool for hours, and then moved on to the next. It was reminiscence of when Carl died. It brought back bad memories. He continued on anyway. When he reached the 5th tool, a screwdriver, he heard a rustle in the bush from a few hundred feet away. She was coming.

In fear, he instantly went behind a bush, and started to form himself from the original, to the modified original. He heard more rustling from the bushes. She was drawing nearer. He took the shavings, and flung them to the ground in front of him. He made these spread into the ground, and act as his escape route, where he could instantly spread his skin across. The ground below became infected, in small parts. He sprang up a little pole, something he could find easily, and latch onto quickly. He heard more rustling. She came into the clearing.

"Hello?" she said in a somewhat scared voice. Searcher could not blame her. She had no idea what she was about to face.

"Hello. Are you Suzan, the one I kept sending letters to?" he replied.

"I am. Are you... Searcher?"

He took the courage to step out from behind the tree.

"I am."

He expected a frightened face, one that feared him. He got an excited, and warming one, that absolutely admired him.

"Well, it's nice to meet you."

She took out her arm, and raised it in the gesture of a handshake. After thinking for a minute, Searcher did the same. They shook hands. The mark of civility.

"As it is you."

"So... what are you?"

"I am, unfortunately, flood. But I have control over myself, as do I my other forms."

She had not a frightened face, but more inquiring. She looked at him strangely, as if he was crazy.

"The flood was eradicated a few weeks ago, by the Master Chief. They said that they destroyed the core, thus destroying all of the other forms with it. I saw it first hand. Flood had invaded our town, but after a short while, they just died. They blew up. Their smaller pieces disintegrated on spot."

"When I was human, the flood had attacked my home. I had run away, like I always did. I realized that was a big mistake. I started to run back to my home, only to be caught by a flood form. It chased after me, and was faster. It started to infect me, and before it infected my brain to its entirety, it just stopped. I heard screaming, which I now presume was the Gravemind while it was being eradicated."

"Hm. Did you not wish to be human again?"

"I did, at first. When I encountered a bear in the forest, and by I guess flood instinct, I infected it. It was me, and I was it. I knew all of its knowledge. It was an amazing feeling. I experimented more, and found out I could shape-shift, and even become multiple beings at once. At this point, I do not really care to be human anymore. I am happy."

"I wish I could say the same."

"Is something wrong?"

"I just lost my job a day before the meeting."

"What were you?"

"I was part of ONI. I knew secrets that others shouldn't have. When one of these secrets leaked out in a celebration, while I was drunk, I was fired for being a threat to the UNSC."

"Aren't you kept under watch?"

"Surprisingly, no."

"I guess you must be lucky. I once knew a person who went mad during a mission, and was fired and put into a mental hospital. He was even put into a straight jacket."

"It's not like I went crazy!"

"Sorry."

"Changing the subject, you said something about shape-shifting?"

"Ah, yes. I can mold my body into certain forms, by shedding off and reattaching parts of my body."

"Care to give an example?"

"What would you wish to be created?"

"How about something simple, like a dog?"

"Watch."

He started down first. Then, he started to shed skin, but forced it back into his body as to not disgust his love. He made smooth parts hairy, and easily movable. He shaped his mouth so that it was long, and his snout was near the tip. He made his ears long, his 4 feet 3 toed. He was now a dog.

"Is this to your liking?"

"Wow. The mimicry is perfect."

"I'm glad you like it."

"Wouldn't you be able to use this form... to live amongst us?"

"What do you mean?"

"I could say I found a stray, and kept him. That stray could be you."

"I'm afraid that's a wish I cannot grant."

"Why?"

"Would you like to conceal your true identity all the time, and live a controlled life? This is something the previous flood would have done."

"Have you not absorbed animals into you, thereby taking away their freedom forever, while they are doomed to watch?"

"The animals I have absorbed have no minds anymore. Their minds could not take the stress. Its obvious that humans, sangheili, and other sentient species can take it, or I would not be alive today. These animals are now dead without me."

"Then you killed them."

  • 07.23.2010 11:55 AM PDT

AL is preventing me from having fun. It is also preventing a lot of people from having fun. People who defend AL say they can live without it. It is obviously unfair in many ways.

SO WHY DON'T WE REMOVE/TWEAK IT?

Also, yes, I do goose.

"The bear would have already died by a hunter, and the bees would have died within a month. Are humans so different? Do they not destroy the ecosystems in which they reside, eventually?"

"I guess you are right, in a way."

"I guess I am."

They sat in silence for a second, one now sitting down on the grass, one now transforming back into the modified original.

"I have one last question."

"What is it?"

"Can... no, I'm going back home. I need to think about this."

"Take all of the time you need."

"I will meet up with you tomorrow, Searcher."

"I look forward to it."

She left the clearing, and Searcher went back into his flower, lovingly. He highly anticipated the question. It ate him up. He needed to know what it was. But he couldn't know until tomorrow. Until tomorrow, he would have to wait.

Like she said, she did come back. She wandered in the moonlight, afraid of someone watching her.

"Searcher?" she said as she looked towards the flower.

One of the flower's petals tore off, to be replaced instantly by another. The petal grew and shaped, until again becoming the modified original. She started to speak again.

"I've thought about this and... can... can you infect me?"

The question hit him with shock. Someone was asking to join him. He would never have to be alone again. He still asked.

"W-why?"

"All of the things you've said seem to be true. Shape-shifting, multiple bodies, powers beyond humans. My life is in shambles. I don't have a husband, or a child. My parents died when I was young, and I was an only child. I have nearly no friends, and the ones I do have don't care for me. The only part of my life left just got taken away from me. I believe that a new start, and new beginning would mend my soul forever. I shall be the creature that I'm so intrigued with, and I will be with you."

These words struck him the hardest. But, not in a bad way. It was extremely gratifying to hear them. But he still had to warn her.

"I have never infected a human before, and I do not know what will happen. You also realize that, if your mind survives, you will be under my control, unless I allow you to see and move freely, on your own? I shall know all your thoughts, always, as you shall know mine. Do you realize, and accept these facts?"

"I do." she said in simple reply.

His only thought was to make her happy.

He started out slowly, just going along her arm. He then started to speed up a bit, covering her entire body, or what was to become her original. He made sure that her head wasn't covered. He would do that last. Once her arms, legs, and chest was covered, he started on her face. The skin was already entering her viral system, making her permanently flood. He then covered the entire face in one swoop.

She fell silent for a second. Then, the body moved. Not with his will, but with hers. She looked at her new body, her original. She was him, and He was her. They were one. They were one mind, but separate at the same time.

Like Mark became Searcher, Suzan became Oracle.

Searcher and Oracle were the King and Queen of themselves, and their bodies. Most importantly, they were happy together.

  • 07.23.2010 11:55 AM PDT

AL is preventing me from having fun. It is also preventing a lot of people from having fun. People who defend AL say they can live without it. It is obviously unfair in many ways.

SO WHY DON'T WE REMOVE/TWEAK IT?

Also, yes, I do goose.


Posted by: AssaultCommand
You're going the right way with this story.
I sense it will become better.

MOAR SEARCHBAR?

Oh, it does.

For my first fanfic, I've looked back on the chapters, and they become progressively more awesome.

BTW, don't expect this schedule to keep up. Currently in writer's block.

  • 07.23.2010 3:00 PM PDT
Subject: [story] Searcher

Posted by: Dropship dude
No, acnboy. Spartain Ken 15 is a lesser being. Much like the bacteria that lives in your shi­t.
Posted by: mike120593
My shi­t bacteria takes offense to that comparison.

Don't make me lel. You won't like me when I lel.

I've only read Chapter 1, but this is really interesting, thread saved!

  • 07.24.2010 3:45 AM PDT
Subject: [story] Searcher *Chapter 5 is up!*

AL is preventing me from having fun. It is also preventing a lot of people from having fun. People who defend AL say they can live without it. It is obviously unfair in many ways.

SO WHY DON'T WE REMOVE/TWEAK IT?

Also, yes, I do goose.


Posted by: AssaultCommand
Then write some *fluff.




* Fluff is a term used to describe short stories (sometimes become standalone novels) written to find your creativity again.

Think about it this way.

I had already written half of this chapter when my computer crashed unexpectedly. I re-wrote it, and then, instead of clicking into another tab, I went to my home page, deleting all I had wrote. Another try, another crash, and here I am, twitching.

But the next chapter (for you guys) will be up on Monday for certain.

  • 07.24.2010 9:46 AM PDT
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I ALREADY TOLD YOU, IM TOO YOUNG TO ALCOHOL. STOP ASKING.

So, releasing all the chapters slowly for these guys, huh? Well, they can wait for the real fun to begin, while we get to bask in the glory >:D

  • 07.24.2010 6:09 PM PDT

AL is preventing me from having fun. It is also preventing a lot of people from having fun. People who defend AL say they can live without it. It is obviously unfair in many ways.

SO WHY DON'T WE REMOVE/TWEAK IT?

Also, yes, I do goose.


Posted by: spHUD Nhug1tts
So, releasing all the chapters slowly for these guys, huh? Well, they can wait for the real fun to begin, while we get to bask in the glory >:D

Not quite yet.

Still need to work on that new chapter yet again. >.>

  • 07.25.2010 8:57 AM PDT

AL is preventing me from having fun. It is also preventing a lot of people from having fun. People who defend AL say they can live without it. It is obviously unfair in many ways.

SO WHY DON'T WE REMOVE/TWEAK IT?

Also, yes, I do goose.

Chapter VII: Realization

Two minds, one body. A siamese being, if you will. A parasite, but a the same time, parasites. But it wasn't a parasite now. It was a sentient being, whose minds looked after the galaxy. The only problem was that it was still a parasite in peoples hearts.

Searcher and Oracle had reached a decision. Together, when referred to as a whole, they would call themselves "Council-Mind", to confer the fact that there was no one omniscient, power-hungry mind, but one of peace. When Oracle had joined Searcher, she conveyed all of her knowledge to him. All of the secrets of ONI, or at least the ones conveyed to her. She also knew of a port nearby, which was transferring materials between the outer colonies, one of which they were on now. They would use this as a means of transportation. Transportation to new worlds, where they could learn and protect.

They left a scrape on their current planet, Victoria. They would use this to continue living there, and other places. Like it or not, the races of this galaxy would receive safety from the one thing they hated the most. They assumed the shape of a bird, and flew off to the port. To their luck, a carrier had landed and was transferring materials. They flew inside relatively unnoticed, and assumed the shapes of a few bugs. They were all tiny. Too tiny to be noticed. This would allow them to move across the ship freely, and undetected. All the while, they made the scrap turn into a small plant. A new plant, which had brown petals and stems. The Oracle flower.

The Oracle flower's roots spread, and sprang up from the ground. New flowers grew there. But these had their petals closed upon themselves, and kept getting bigger. When they had the width and height of a tree trunk, they stopped growing. They all opened, to reveal modified originals. These then spread their skin unto one. That one assumed the form of a dog after the gruesome transformation. The dog barked a bit, before leaving into town. Searcher did not control it. Oracle did.

The dog lept straight into the town, and walked along, its fur dirty and uneven as to not cause suspicion. It wagged its tail furiously, and seemed like a strong dog, one someone would take in. No one did though. When the dog came back to Oracle's flower, it transformed into a bee, while spreading the shavings back unto the flower. It went back into town, and read the news headlines.

"Covenant strikes again!" was all it needed to read to know that the species they knew so well were in danger once again.

The bee came back to Oracle's flower, and spread itself into the flower once again. Little did it know it had been watched. And the being watching had been watching for a while now.

************************

Nars woke up, groggily. He had several human doctors over him, or what looked to be. His vision was blurred. They said something. He couldn't understand it, as he was still groggy. He looked beside him, at the machine that had been there before. It was in a new position now, one different from the other. He still hadn't the strength to read it, or even attempt to. He looked in the other direction. The bodies of his fellow warriors were gone. He could drift into sleep again, as he was still tired. But he did not. Something kept him from doing it. It was not the will to return the battlefield, or anything honorable. It did not have to do with the shame of his return. He didn't care about those things anymore. He just thought that if he went to sleep again, he would die.

He did not think of himself as a coward. Because he was not. He had gone bravely into battle, and honorably lost. He did not care if his cohorts would receive him well or badly. It would end up all the same. His friends would still stand up for him in his moments of weakness. His commanding officers would still do the same to him regardless. The worst treatment he could receive was death, and that would obviously not happen on the account of a human's fault. The only thing that would hurt his pride is that he was being healed by humans, not his fellow warriors, and that he had been away for a while.

His vision and sound were finally clearing. The doctors once there had disappeared while he was daydreaming. He again looked at where his dead friends had once been, and hoped a trick of his mind had caused him to think they were gone. It was not the case. He looked at the machine. It went at a normal pace, and he was apparently fine. He looked at the clock on the machine, and realized why he did not see his friends to his side. A month had past since he had last looked at it.

He tried to get up, the disorientation clearing. He sit up once again, as his wounds had healed. Then again, wounds healed within a month of rest. He tried to stand up. Until now, his body had been covered with a blanket, and a simple set of robes. When the blanket came off, he made a shocking realization. His left leg was not there. Nothing was. He could never walk again. He could never steer a seraph with a leg lost. He was useless in combat. He had no purpose in life.

For a moment, he sat there in denial, reassuring himself that his leg was still there, and the drowsiness was causing him to have hallucinations. That went by quickly. He tried to think of ways he could be of use. He could only be a communicator, at best on a ship. But his honor, and his battle experience would not award him the position. He knew that.

A single human came in, pushing a chair in. Instead of the traditional legs that the humans used on their chairs, it had wheels. It also had a footstool attached, where someone would rest his or her feet. It was larger, and more fitting to his posture. The human put it beside his bedside, stared at him for a minute, in what looked like sorrow, and then left. This chair would become his new transportation. This chair would become his legs. This chair would become his dishonor, and tossed the idea of being accepted back into his military forever. He glared at it for a while. He knew the humans meant well. Their system didn't work on honor. They didn't know of the consequences. He still hated them. He hated them already anyway.

He jumped into the chair. Not in happiness, but because he was forced to. There was no other way to move. Wheels and jumping were his only options. Unless, by freak chance, his culture welcomed him back, and made a seraph specially made for him. But daydreaming wouldn't make the pain go away. At this point nothing did. He started to the door, opened it, and finally saw what was going on outside of his room.

************************

"Sir, the Sangheili has awoke." said Private Nash.

"He's gotten out of the coma this quickly? Damn. Give him the wheelchair. His kind has already given him up for dead. I don't plan on doing the same."

"But sir-"

"No buts soldier. We wouldn't want that... incident to be let out to all of the ship, now would we?"

Nash showed instant fear.

"Er... No sir." he said in a solemn tone.

"Good. Now move out."

"Sir."

The "incident" that Fisher referred to happened between the two of them. Something terrible happened that day, but to Nash. Letting it about the ship would make him Public Enemy #1 yet again. Nash obviously didn't want that to happen. Fisher could now blackmail Nash into doing whatever he pleased. Whether it be following orders, which he should follow anyway, and some other fun things. He laughed at the thought of having a little personal slave, as he waved about the piece of information.

ONI spooks had come aboard the ship about a week ago. They didn't talk to him, or any of the crew, except for one person. Nash. Made him suspicious to the crew, but Fisher already knew what was really going on. After all, Nash explained all of it during the incident.

He again started up from his office to his observation deck, where he would look at the stars in awe. It gave him inspiration. On his way there, he saw glimpses of his crew, some that saluted him, while he saluted back, some that went past him, obviously busy. He even saw the Sangheili, in his new wheelchair, emerging from the room. It looked sad. It should have been. If he had lost everything, he probably would have been sad too. It probably still didn't know what quite was going on. The poor thing.

He finally reached his observation deck. He again took out a bottle of wine. He then realized that it was the same one he used when he went to Sangheilios, and straight into the trap. He had not been here for a long time. To him, that just explained why it took so long to clear up the mess he, his crew, and those ambush ships had made. He put the last of his wine into a glass, sat down in a recliner, and looked up. He took a sip. It wasn't long before he fell asleep.

  • 07.25.2010 11:31 PM PDT

AL is preventing me from having fun. It is also preventing a lot of people from having fun. People who defend AL say they can live without it. It is obviously unfair in many ways.

SO WHY DON'T WE REMOVE/TWEAK IT?

Also, yes, I do goose.

I think no one saw this in the wake of Wolver's final chapter.

I'm going to get complaints for this bump, aren't I?

  • 07.27.2010 12:56 PM PDT

I definitely saw it. :)

You've really got a great story going here. You don't have to write a story featuring cameos from every major character in the Haloverse to be equally awesome. I've really enjoyed reading your chapters so far; you're creating a storyline and characters that are truly interesting.

The only criticism I have for your work is that I think you should be wary of making the shape-shifting ability too powerful. You don't want to end up suffering from "superman syndrome" and have your readers go "Well if they can do X and Y, why didn't they do so to get out of problem Z here?" and nit-pick. God-like characters can also get a little hard to write convincingly. ;)

Also, in response to "SEARCHBAR", I have one word...

Searchbear. :D

  • 07.27.2010 9:46 PM PDT

AL is preventing me from having fun. It is also preventing a lot of people from having fun. People who defend AL say they can live without it. It is obviously unfair in many ways.

SO WHY DON'T WE REMOVE/TWEAK IT?

Also, yes, I do goose.


Posted by: Mangonou
I definitely saw it. :)

You've really got a great story going here. You don't have to write a story featuring cameos from every major character in the Haloverse to be equally awesome. I've really enjoyed reading your chapters so far; you're creating a storyline and characters that are truly interesting.

The only criticism I have for your work is that I think you should be wary of making the shape-shifting ability too powerful. You don't want to end up suffering from "superman syndrome" and have your readers go "Well if they can do X and Y, why didn't they do so to get out of problem Z here?" and nit-pick. God-like characters can also get a little hard to write convincingly. ;)

Also, in response to "SEARCHBAR", I have one word...

Searchbear. :D

I've been trying to avoid that, and so far have been doing a pretty good job of it I think.

  • 07.27.2010 11:05 PM PDT

AL is preventing me from having fun. It is also preventing a lot of people from having fun. People who defend AL say they can live without it. It is obviously unfair in many ways.

SO WHY DON'T WE REMOVE/TWEAK IT?

Also, yes, I do goose.

After a 7-day ban, I'm posting new chapters.

Then again, maybe I shouldn't. There are obviously not many people reading it or else it wouldn't be on page 5. And now I look selfish for bumping it up with a new chapter.

Chapter VIII: Exploration

A lust for knowledge. The trait inhabited the Council-Mind, and thus all the minds within it. Nothing would inhibit it from gaining more knowledge. Nothing. The only thing that could was the willingness of a being to give its life for it.

During their travels, Oracle and Searcher noticed their specific traits of their minds. Traits the other could not have. For instance, Oracle could have dreams. She could dream of the past, or what was to come. But what was to come was in the very short future. If an attack was imminent, she would know of it. But, she could not know of far future events, or something of lesser importance. Furthermore, she did not have dreams often. Not when she wanted to. Even when she had them, it was rare that she dreamed of the future. Even so, it could be vital. Searcher on the other hand, obviously had the power to overcome other minds. But that was not his specific trait. Oracle could also overcome other minds if she wished it. Or probably could. It was just a theory, after all. Searcher had a more direct power over his beings. He could shape them faster than Oracle, and with more precision. It might have been from experience, but it was useful nonetheless.

Also on their travels, they listened into radios and conversations. They eavesdropped almost as if it was their favorite sport. But what else could they do? They could not interact, or else to cause suspicion. They could not use things, or else to cause investigation. They certainly could not reveal themselves, or it would be disastrous for them. They loved the information they gathered from all of this. Reports, recent news, transmissions from other planets, orders... everything they eavesdropped on, with the help of transformation. At one point, they considered to place a tiny bit of themselves on everyone aboard the ship, as to eavesdrop on every conversation possible. They decided against it finally, as at some point, someone would probably notice a piece of pulsating, brown skin on their uniform.

Another thing they loved to do was read. There were many books in the storage. They would, every night, steal one to three books and then read. They didn't do it slowly. Their minds could process and remember the text faster than any being could. It would take them, at the most, an hour to read a large and complicated book. This might have not taken all that long. If the book's numbers were small. There were hundreds of books craving their attention. They didn't miss a single one.

They also learned something about themselves. As they transformed from one form to the next, they created more cells using a-blam!- division. All of this happened at a lightning fast rate: creating more possibility for their evolution. All cells with defective traits were immediately terminated; If the traits spread, it would be disastrous and counterproductive. In all of this evolution, they produced two skills. One of them, making armor. Cells could now become denser, almost to the point were they could not be broken. They could layer the organisms Council-Mind created, and the creatures could now have some sort of defense, other than in numbers. An unfortunate side-effect was obvious; They could not rearrange the cells after using their full potential as armor. The second was the ability to survive without oxygen. As before, nutrients was somehow sent throughout the forms without connection, and could be harvested using only one form. The bodies also required the absolute minimum of nutrients. Now, as long as one being breathed oxygen, all the rest had oxygen as well. They could survive in space, if needed.

At this point, their vessel had come to a stop. They met with a much larger ship, and they were transferring materials via boarding shafts. It might not have been conventional, as small as they were, but it apparently got the job done. After a short time, Oracle had a dream. When she awoke from it, she detailed disaster. An attack would take place.

************************

In his time there, Nars had already taken a position aboard the ship. He was a manager of a small group of communicators. He knew he had been given this generously. What else could he do? They couldn't just throw him out. He didn't have much training in human protocol, or had communicative skills. He barely even knew the ship layout. He constantly used a map integrated into his chair.

Worst of all, he barely knew the human's chief language. He only knew the most simplistic of words and phrases. After all, he thought he would never use them. When was a warrior, a lesser one at that, ever going to communicate with the humans. But he wasn't a warrior. At least, not anymore. When anyone asked him something complicated or long (when they didn't know his language at least) they had to manually input it into his translator integrated into his chair. To submit a response, he had to type his reply into the computer, and have it speak it. Fortunate for him, more than half the ship knew the Sangheili language. Unfortunate for him, his group, the one he was a manager of, did not.

His group hated him as much as he hated them. The tension was enormous. He usually showed his disgust toward humans regularly, which didn't go well with his group. Mostly, they dealt with other humans. It was obviously a low-task job, and had a low pay. Then again, he didn't get a pay. Food and water were provided for him. Most towns wouldn't accept him, because of a prejudice many humans had to their race, because of their previous actions during the covenant. Some were able to recognize that Nars wasn't in the Covenant at that point. Many did not. Including his group. He wouldn't get a job on a world, let alone the military. He may have been able to get into a flight school, and rejoin the military. But that would be on the human side. It would detach him from his kind, and he did not want that. But he already felt detached. When nearly none of your kind were aboard the ship, you would have that feeling.

He had but two friends. One, a Sangheili aboard, like him. He was in a much higher position than Nars, but he was easy-going. His name was Dnak 'Nidut. He had apparently given up the ways of honor and the like after a few "mistakes" he had made during the war. He didn't like killing people, that was for sure. He tried not to kill many during the war, and was apparently almost branded a heretic and killed for sparing a human life. When the Great Schism took place, he sought opportunity aboard communication vessels. The best he could get was here. He was very fluent in the "English" language, and spent some of his spare time teaching Nars. It was sometimes annoying to hear his jokes about how the honor system was a folly, but he lived with it. Nars also shared a room with him, because there were none left.

His other friend was a human. Somewhat small compared to them, as all humans were, but still tall amongst his peers. Although Nars usually showed prejudice against humans, as they did the same, Edward was different. Somewhat of a reclusive person, he was always reading books when Nars saw him. He often took books from storage, sometimes illegally. Such was his lust for a good story. He always got a away with it anyway. He was always polite, no matter who he was speaking with. He usually had a happy disposition, and was a chatty person. Getting into a conversation with him was like reading 2 books over and over again. He would explain his ramblings using symbols and themes from books, and often make references. A slight beard, with a white trim around it usually set himself from the other humans.

They usually sat around at one of the tables at mealtime. Dnak slouched over, lazely playing with his food, while occasionally lifting an eye toward Edward. He secretly was listening intently, as he had a love for books too. Edward would ramble on about a story he read last night, or the night before. It would sometimes be an epic journey, with trials and hardship. Other times, it would be about a love story, with the two lovers saving each other time and time again. Occasionally, he would really ramble on, after he had read some strange story of transformation or horror. Nars ate his food diligently while always looking at Edward. He sometimes replied when the storyteller asked questions. Others, Dnak snatched the questions out of the air, and replied with a long answer, a lazy tone about it.

Life on the ship became slowly bearable. Mostly, his friends made it that way. His crash course through English went roughly well. He still had some trouble with longer and more meaningful words, but he could read and understand the language well. On-duty, his group still hated him. He neared promotion, and would be put into Edward's group a bit later. He learned the ships layout, and knew it by heart now. The wheelchair he had sometimes caused traffic jams, but they were few and far between. But overall, life was going well. He tried not to think of the crash, and how that put him away forever from his home planet. But his leg and his sword reminded him anyway. He had hung his sword near his bed, as a grim reminder. He read the text upon it every night. It helped him go to sleep.

  • 08.05.2010 10:36 AM PDT

AL is preventing me from having fun. It is also preventing a lot of people from having fun. People who defend AL say they can live without it. It is obviously unfair in many ways.

SO WHY DON'T WE REMOVE/TWEAK IT?

Also, yes, I do goose.

They had just recently joined with another, smaller vessel, via boarding tubes. There was no more room in their bay, because they were transporting some ships to a human colony. The vessel they had joined with carried some supplies, like food and water, not to mention an apparently vital material. It was small, but that's all they knew. It was top-priority, and was to go to a Sangheili colony immediately. During lunch, Dnak revealed it to be an orb of some sort. But that's all he heard about it.

Then, during the transfer, disaster struck.

  • 08.05.2010 10:37 AM PDT

Damn cliffhanger. :C

Definitely a good chapter. I look forward to seeing what happens next - a conflict of some sort sounds nice right about now. ;)

And I think you put your writing down too much. It can take a good while for authors to build up a fanbase... and even then, that fanbase doesn't always comment. You might already have 5, 10, 20 or more people who've read your story but simply haven't left a reply yet, or who have replied in the past but don't want to reply to every update. Even some of the more popular stories on here have very few comments between some chapters, especially the early ones.

  • 08.05.2010 4:26 PM PDT

AL is preventing me from having fun. It is also preventing a lot of people from having fun. People who defend AL say they can live without it. It is obviously unfair in many ways.

SO WHY DON'T WE REMOVE/TWEAK IT?

Also, yes, I do goose.


Posted by: Mangonou
Damn cliffhanger. :C

Definitely a good chapter. I look forward to seeing what happens next - a conflict of some sort sounds nice right about now. ;)

And I think you put your writing down too much. It can take a good while for authors to build up a fanbase... and even then, that fanbase doesn't always comment. You might already have 5, 10, 20 or more people who've read your story but simply haven't left a reply yet, or who have replied in the past but don't want to reply to every update. Even some of the more popular stories on here have very few comments between some chapters, especially the early ones.

You have a point there.

Let's see how it goes with the next 8 chapters, I guess. >.>

  • 08.05.2010 5:32 PM PDT

Posted by: Dropship dude
No, acnboy. Spartain Ken 15 is a lesser being. Much like the bacteria that lives in your shi­t.
Posted by: mike120593
My shi­t bacteria takes offense to that comparison.

Don't make me lel. You won't like me when I lel.

Well, I've finally caught up with the chapters and I must say that this is one amazing story.
Pumped for more Searchbear!

  • 08.06.2010 7:23 AM PDT

AL is preventing me from having fun. It is also preventing a lot of people from having fun. People who defend AL say they can live without it. It is obviously unfair in many ways.

SO WHY DON'T WE REMOVE/TWEAK IT?

Also, yes, I do goose.


Posted by: random no337
Well, I've finally caught up with the chapters and I must say that this is one amazing story.
Pumped for more Searchbear!

Thanks!

  • 08.06.2010 8:22 AM PDT

AL is preventing me from having fun. It is also preventing a lot of people from having fun. People who defend AL say they can live without it. It is obviously unfair in many ways.

SO WHY DON'T WE REMOVE/TWEAK IT?

Also, yes, I do goose.

I had such a temptation to put "A large red R" into this.

Chapter IX: Attack

Mortal peril. The lives of hundreds on their shoulders. Possibly thousands. They could save them all, and expose themselves prematurely; Or, they could defend themselves. There wasn't a moment before they chose.

Nars toppled to the ground. His wheelchair fell over while the ship shook. Another attack. More lives lost. He could not bear it if more of his friends had been lost. He quickly sat up turned his wheelchair upright, and sped along the hallway he was in. As he turned into another long hallway along the side of the ship, he looked to his left, to the battle.

They weren't Covenant. Rather, Nars didn't assume them to be. Their signature color, purple, was no longer covering their ships, but rather an orange pattern. It also had an insignia across its side. The insignia had green crossroads, made up of triangles. Picture a large triangle, stretched up to where it almost looked like a line from afar. Then put that triangle at the top and bottom. Make it smaller, turn it sideways, and then put that on the left and right. Make a silver circle in the middle, and you had the pattern on the top and sides of the orange ship. Blue lines covered the ship, at every turn. It now obviously not Covenant. It deployed ships. Not banshees, or Seraphs. They were unlike anything Nars had seen before.

They were silver-brownish color, and had a chassis of what looked like an oval-like shape. In the back, it had boosters, 4 to be exact, on the top, bottom, and sides. It had two wings, with engines at the tips. But that wasn't what set it apart from everything. The wings moved. The flapped up and down, like a "bird" would flap its wings, or so Edward described from one of his books. A hatch opened at the bottom, and two cannons appeared. They fired.

The links were cut at that instant, by shots. The doors to Nars's ship were closed. The other ship was not so lucky. Human bodies flung out the door. They were still alive, all gasping for air, reaching for their throats, holding their breath. They all died, and Nars could watch no more. He began to push the wheels of his wheelchair as fast as he could, and reached the door in front of him. He opened it, to his horror.

************************

The shot shook their ship. Luckily for Council-Mind, they had made preparations. While the transfer occurred, Searcher sent a beetle to the other ship, as a lifesaver for him and Oracle. They also kept another beetle in the boarding tube, for when it closed. They could get on the outside of the ship that way, and block fire. If the two ships were destroyed, they still had the Oracle flower to grow from back on Victoria. They had nothing to worry about. They wished they could have said the same for all the lives on-board the ships.

When the links cut, something unexpected happened. The door was not yet closed. A fatal mistake for all those inside. Humans went tumbling out to their deaths, trying to breath the air which was not there. They tried to hold their breaths, tried to reach for the ship, or grab onto something. Get back to a room with oxygen in it. One, who was the first out of the door, tried to rebound off of the other ship, so he could get back inside his. He disintegrated on contact with the other ships shield. He opened his mouth wildly. There was no air to shake. A silent screech of a dying man. All the men who had once been in the room died. It was a gruesome sight to watch them die. Nevertheless, Searcher pushed on, making the beetle on the outside grow into a mass of flesh which crawled along the side of the ship. Oracle turned the other beetle into a fly, and had it search for a safe place from enemy fire in the other ship.

The mass crept into the sight of all on the operations deck. They had no idea what it was. Of course, they had never seen flood before. Searcher made it grow outwards, and then, when it was far enough away from the ship, it started to form a little cacoon. Skin crept into space, only a few meters above the ship. Halfway across, it stopped. It also, then hardened. An impenetrable defense from the front. No shots got through the defense, and the enemy apparently got the message. They flanked to the behind, when something unexpected happened to them. From the bottom of the shield, forms leaped toward their ships, went inside, and compromised their engines. The forms spread the skin across the ships, before piercing the beings inside with a sharp thorn made out of hardened skin.

The forms retracted the skin, and leaped out of the dying ships. As they returned to the shield, the ships they compromised had exploded. The defense of the ship was impenetrable. The enemy apparently realized this, for they stopped attacking the one ship, and turned to the bigger.

"To little, to late." Searcher thought, as a form drew nearer to the enemy's main ship.

All turrets had diverted their attention to the form. If it reached the ship, then they would be compromised, and the ship would be destroyed. A wrong move, apparently. The larger ship open fired on the enemy ship. The shields were destroyed, and the ship was now taking direct injury. Another 2 ships arrived as reinforcements. They were too late. The main ship exploded from the constant fire, even before the form had manage to reach the hull. That also meant, fortunately, the form was still intact. It was already headed for another ship.

************************

"Open fire on the left vessel!" Fisher yelled confidently.

"Aye sir!"

Another soldier questioned him.

"Shouldn't we be trying to kill the... the... whatever that thing is that's surrounding the other ship!?"

"We'll deal with that later. For right now, put some distance between us and our trading partner, and focus fire on the enemy that's actually shooting us!"

"Aye sir!"

************************

Nars choked for air. He had entered a room where the shot had pierced the hull. He had flown out into space, where he was sure he would die. He held his breath. And suddenly, his life flashed in front of his eyes.

His childhood.

The schism, and the death of his father.

His joining of the military.

The accident.

Getting to know his new friends.

The attack.

He was sure he was about to choke, another thing that was strange happened to him. Something pierced his lung. But, his lung then grew back. He was then instantly filled with air. For a second, he wanted to know what had happened. For the next few minutes, he didn't care. He grasped onto a pole nearby, and pushed himself back into the room. He looked for an airlock, or something that could get him more oxygen. He went to the doorway across from where he entered. The gods had smiled upon him. It was an airlock. The room depressurized, and was instantly filled with air. Incidentally, he had lost his wheelchair. He couldn't walk fast enough. But, thinking about what should have been his death, he just laid there.

************************

Searcher had noticed Oracle's activity.

"Saved a life, have you?"

"I do my best."

"Good."

"Should I completely infect him?"

"Definitely not. It would put a bad image upon ourselves."

"Good point."

Searcher reached the now unshielded ship. He transformed the form into an original, but modified it to make it stronger and faster. A door loomed in front of him. He tore it off. In front of him were beings he had not seen before. They looked at him strangely, before speaking what seemed to be one word, in an alien language that he could not understand. Then the ship exploded.

The entire form did not survive, but a few cells did. They grew in numbers, eventually reforming the original. Instead of heading to its next target, it was heading back to the shield. But the shield detached, from Oracle's will. No one would get the chance to figure out what they were. The shield collided with the original, who dissolved into it. As the shield drew near, the shields on the last ship dissolved into space. The battle was won. The shield collided with the ship, destroying it and the ship.

There was now but one problem. They had no bugs left. Oracle had used the ones that she was supposed to have gotten to safety saving the sangheili. Searcher had used his to destroy the last ship. The last remnant of them was in the Sangheili. They could never be removed.

************************

Oracle's flower sat there, in the forest. It moved a bit to the left. The screen showed nothing unusual. Just some movement. Nothing underground, or anywhere else on the planet. The figures staring at it started talking at it.

"What is it doing now?"

"Nothing. We presume the minds are concentrating on the attack on the ships they boarded."

"What legion did those ships belong to?"

"Unknown, sir."

"Keep close watch on the flower, the forms that grow from it, and the people in the town."

"Aye."

"Also, is agent Nash keeping a close eye on Fisher?"

"Yes sir."

"Any reports of leaks?"

"No sir."

"Good."

One figure stared at for a minute, before turning away from the screen.

"Suzan, what have you gotten yourself into?"

  • 08.09.2010 6:20 AM PDT
Subject: [story] Searcher *Chapter 9 is up!*

AL is preventing me from having fun. It is also preventing a lot of people from having fun. People who defend AL say they can live without it. It is obviously unfair in many ways.

SO WHY DON'T WE REMOVE/TWEAK IT?

Also, yes, I do goose.

Chapter X: Dawn

The calm after the storm. The rest after the battle. The enemy's defeat. Hiding in a live being, that they had saved the life of. The being was immortal now, but not one with the Council-Mind. A being which did not realize of its infection.

Fisher stood on the observation deck, pondering the attack. A day had passed since. He had witnessed many things yesterday. A new enemy. A mystery ally, which wasn't very much a mystery to him. He knew what it was. It was the parasite. The Gravemind. The very embodiment of fear and sin. It had been destroyed by the Master Chief, who gave his life for its destruction, but it was apparently not so. Master Chief's actions against it had apparently been in vain. The covenant was broken up, yes, but only for so long. This had been evident in the earlier attack. Was this new enemy allied with the covenant? Or did they live for the sole purpose of killing the Gravemind? Many thoughts invaded his head, questions, false answers, but one stood out of the many.

The protection of the smaller ship puzzled him. The Gravemind had protected life that was not its own. Other than a few missing persons, which weren't so "missing" to him as he could see their bodies floating in space from where he now stood, there was no report of hull fracture or infection. It used the last part of itself to kill the enemy units. In his mind, this meant one of two things. The forerunner orb that they were transferring to Sangheilios was important to it, or the enemy they faced was too dangerous to its other forms around the galaxy. Perhaps this had to do with his earlier theory, in which their new "enemy" had the same goal they did. The possibilities of advancing technology with them would skyrocket with their alliance. But, alas, it was to soon to try this. Contact had to be made.

Private Nash broke the silence.

"Sir, ONI officers have made requests to check if the orb was damaged during the attack."

"Why don't you tell your underlings that its safe in my hands?"

"But sir-"

"Cut the sir crap, I know you're ONI. You already explained that during the accident. You don't have to restrain yourself. This is my personal observation deck. No cameras or recorders in here."

"Fine, Fisher. Then you also know I'm a higher rank than you, and thus have authority over you. You either let ONI aboard, or I can pry your ship away from you."

"You can do that?"

"I have my ways."

"Can you pry my ship away from me when you're fired? After all, I have all of the recordings of the incident. I wonder what would happen if I showed them to your superiors, hm?"

Nash grew annoyed. Fisher grew happier.

"I would go tell your little ONI friends that they have no authority over my ship."

Nash then showed a grim smile.

"If I do that, then you'll get fired anyway. Not by me. By my superiors. Whether I'm here or not, your life is still a living hell." Nash chuckled. "Unless, of course, you take their offer and let them inspect the orb."

Fisher's smile soon faded.

"I believe that's check and mate, my dear friend."

Nash walked out on Fisher, leaving him stupefied. He again looked at the stars before muttering a word.

"Bastard."

************************

"So, you were thrown out into space?" Edward questioned.

Nars nodded.

"And what happened? How could you survive?" Dnak inquired.

"I don't know. I felt something pierce my left lung. Then I was instantly filled with air. Maybe I was-"

"Delusional?" Dnak interrupted. He laughed a bit, Edward chuckled. Nars kept silent, and traded a glare with Dnak.

Edward broke the staredown.

"Nars, I think you might have just hit your head. Your wheelchair is missing, right?"

"No Edward, these crutches are for show. I just love the exercise. I practically live for it." Nars replied sarcastically.

"Well, maybe you hit a bump and fell out of wheelchair."

Edward imitated the scene with his hands, demonstrating what might have happened. But it was not. It was obviously not. He had been sucked out into space, and somehow he survived. But he couldn't prove it. He thought of a retort anyway.

"And what happened to the wheelchair? Did this new, highly advanced enemy suddenly want my wheelchair? Are they the 'Wheelchair stealers' known to steal wheelchairs throughout the galaxy?"

"Very funny."

"Maybe it got sucked into space while you were being saved by the forerunners!" Dnak chuckled. He laughed heartily.

"Oh shut up!" Nars said. He tried to hide a chuckle.

"Oh yes, Nars, you have been reassigned to my group." said Edward.

"Finally. My group is killing me. How did they ever get on the ship?"

"Probably were forced to. There weren't many people that were willing to take this kind of job. It can get repetitive, really." Edward said in a monotone voice.

Although Nars enjoyed being upon the ship, Edward was right. Their workday was nearly the same thing over and over again. Mealtimes were the highlights, and made things bearable. If you were lucky enough to get a manager position, or one that had to move around a lot, you would be better off for promotion. It wasn't exactly a dream job to begin with. Not to mention they transported highly important goods most of the time, making them high-priority targets. Nars had already experienced 4 small attacks before this one. They were wiped from the crew's sights in an instance. Such was the power that this ship kept.

The recent battle had damaged the ship slightly, delaying their trip to Sangheilios. There was nothing they could do. While doing repairs, they were open targets for anyone to come in and kill them all. There were rumors around the ship that ONI would come to inspect the orb, even protect them for the rest of their repairs and their journey to Sangheilios. Only time would tell. They were to come in a week.

************************

Searcher pondered what he would do. Oracle was busy, tuning her mind in to the Sangheili's conversation. They talked about the Sangheili's saving from death. They obviously did not know what happened. And no one would. It was the Council-Mind's secret. They would never reveal it unless the situation called for it. Of course, they wouldn't reveal the secret directly. The Sangheili would realize it after he found out he was infected. But he wouldn't realize he was infected. Or so they hoped. They would keep him alive if he was wounded. If he was close to death, they would infect him and welcome him into the Council-Mind. But he hoped that wouldn't happen. Not until he neared a natural death.

They had already created another bug from Oracle's entry point; the left side of his back. They didn't need to wait for another ship to land back on Victoria, which could have taken months. They could use the Sangheili to create more of themselves. A gruesome thought at first, but it did not bring the Sangheili to harm. They would use this bug for their original purpose: To gain more knowledge, and to spread themselves across the galaxy. They would protect the denizens from danger. They would gain all the knowledge there was to be gained. Nothing would stop them.

Their time aboard this ship was much like their last, only with more information to be gathered. Many more bugs had to be spread throughout the ship to gather and listen to all of it. There was also many more books and scrolls in storage that they could read detailing. Once, they were almost caught reading; a human had entered at nearly midnight, seen them, and then ran away in fear. They waited for a search, but it never happened. Was he not listened to? Did he disregard the sight as a hallucination? He did not dwell on the sighting long.

The ship was currently under repairs; they had no defense, not even shields. The only way to save the ship in case of an emergency was to have a part of them on the front of it. At least, until the shields were back online. Then their defense would be tossed aside. The enemy they had encountered before was not easy to take down. They were obviously skilled in combat and by the looks of their technology, very advanced. He had seen their kind. They were nearly looked like humans, but some features made them very much different. They were 3 toed and had 3 fingers, one of them presumably the thumb. They had on blue suits of armor to protect them, very different than what Searcher had seen in the known species of the galaxy. But this wasn't a known species of the galaxy.

For now, life was pleasant. But he was sure that wouldn't last.

************************

"The being isn't moving?"

"No sir."

"Good. Keep an open eye on it. The moment it starts to spread, we go all in on it?"

"Yes sir."

Another figure entered the room.

"Playing with your little flood being, are we Nathan?" the figure said in a British accent.

"This thing took away one of our operatives." Nathan replied.

"Former operative. That little leak about the orb didn't do us much good. Which reminds me, have you brought in the subject?"

"Yes sir. I presume you're talking about the guy Suzan leaked the information to?"

"The very same."

"You can find him in Interrogation room 12."

"Good. I think its time we both had a little talk with him."

"Understood."

They left the room.

"I understand you have been... a bit unruly of late. You've ignored orders Nathan, and I'm not sure what I think of that."

"Ever since we put the camera on the flood form-"

"No excuses."

"Sorry."

[Edited on 08.13.2010 6:43 AM PDT]

  • 08.13.2010 6:42 AM PDT
Subject: [story] Searcher *Chapter 5 is up!*

AL is preventing me from having fun. It is also preventing a lot of people from having fun. People who defend AL say they can live without it. It is obviously unfair in many ways.

SO WHY DON'T WE REMOVE/TWEAK IT?

Also, yes, I do goose.

They walked down the hall in silence. It was an orderly place, or enough of one to keep order. They passed door and door, seeking their destination. When they arrived, they found their subject detained and complaining. Nathan sat down, while his superior watched from outside of the room. He would go unseen by the subject.

"I'd like to know where I am."

"I'm sorry, did you just make a demand?"

"I have a right to know where I am."

"You realize you're talking to the one man who could make you disappear forever?" Nathan replied.

The man gulped.

"Now then, what did Suzan tell you about a certain orb?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"We know you were told something about the orb. We just don't know what."

"And what would you do if I told you?"

"That's something for my superiors to decide. You better hope they're happy with you."

The man crossed his arms in defiance.

"I don't have time for this." Nathan said as he sighed.

He reached for his belt for a holster, hidden near his back pocket. He pulled out a gun, and put it to the man's head. He instantly raised his arms up.

"Y-you're insane!!"

"I'm not insane. I'm just in need of the information you have. I'm going to count to ten. If you don't tell me what Suzan said to you by then, you're going to be lying on the floor in a pool of your own blood."

The man shivered a bit.

"1."

He looked down and up frantically.

"2."

He looked over at the guard near the door.

"3."

He twiddled his feet a little, as if to escape from the reality.

"4."

He blinked rapidly, as if he was in a dream.

"5."

He twitched a little.

"6."

He closed his eyes.

"7!"

A shot rang off. Thankfully for him, into the ceiling.

"O-o-okay I'll tell you! P-please, j-just don't sh-shoot me."

"Good."

"Sh-she told me s-something about it being a r-religious object."

"Go on."

"She s-said that it contained e-energy or something, I don't know! Something th-that could power energy weapons!"

"Is that all."

"Yes!"

"Alright, why don't I go see what my superiors will do with you."

The man gulped again.

Nathan left the room, and then eyed his superior, Colonel Darwin. Darwin gave a little nod, and Nathan raised his hand to the window, and then made a fist. He stood there, his sight away from the door, as he could hear the guards' footsteps toward the man. He could pick up faint bits of audio. Then, a muffled scream. The signal he had given was to kill the man. They would make it look like a missing persons case later. Both Darwin and Nathan left the sight.

"You're such a ruthless bastard." Darwin said.

"You gave the order, I carried it out. Wasn't that what you wanted?"

Darwin gave him a stern look as they walked, before they went their separate ways.

  • 08.13.2010 6:43 AM PDT

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